Music for the Augmented Pipe Organ
A series of experimental compositions which merge the vibrant material and ethereal space of the pipe organ and the techniques of electronic and generative music.
Viewing the pipe organ as both a ‘traditional’ and ‘radical’ instrument capable of constructing new sound worlds, the project extends the instrument towards an emerging digital culture using custom digital interfaces that allow real-time manipulation of all organ pipes and stops.
“transforms the world’s oldest mechanical synthesizer into a jarringly futuristic device …. makes the organ feel alive with possibility” – The Wire: Adventures in Sound and Music
With a reflexive attention to the organ’s context and harmonic design, the project incorporates site-specific elements such as the organ’s architecture and acoustics, using controlled feedback systems, machine listening, and projection mapping to consider the resonant relationships between the instrument and its surrounding space as recursive and generative elements interwoven into the performance. Through this process of hybridizing acoustic and digital approaches, the project explores new possibilities for the world’s oldest mechanical synthesizer.
performance
- 2019__Pacific Spirit United Church, Vancouver, Canada
- 2020__Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Köln, Germany
- 2022__Open Ears Festival, Kitchener, Canada
- 2023__Orgelpark, Amsterdam
support
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music, Media, and Technology (CIRMMT)
- Canada Council for the Arts, Special Initiative Frankfurt 2020